The King of Fighters Memorial (often at times shortened to KoF Memorial or abbreviated as KoFM) is a series of fan-games
A promotional picture for The King of Fighters Memorial.
made by Zelgadis with the 2D freeware engine M.U.G.E.N. The series is mainly based on the popular King of Fighters franchise by SNK Playmore and features both characters and stages from the series and originally created or edited ones. The gameplay and mechanics are generally similar to the more current games in the series, though there have been some known differences with each update and incarnation of the game.
Games in the Series
There are technically three games in the series (four if you include the Demo Version), though the first installment is the only one widely available at this point. Zelgadis has stated that there is a second game and a third game that will be made. It is unknown at this point if he plans to continue past the third one.
The King of Fighters Memorial (Demo Version)
An initial demo of the game was released in 2007 by Zelgadis. It mainly established the basic layout/texture the game has been known for and a start-up roster for what could possibly be expected in the actual release. Many of the choices in terms of some of the characters and stages w
A possible screenshot of an earlier KoFM Demo(?)
ere later scrapped or updated however.
There has been some debate however over a possible earlier version of the demo which included more characters. This is due to a screenshot that was shown featuring far more characters on the select roster and seemingly a larger amount of stages as well. Some footage of trailers on Youtube that seemed to depict game footage of the early demo also support this theory. Each one shows various characters that were seemingly never included or made their way into the game, though some attacks and manuvers were seemingly recycled/reused with characters that did.
The King of Fighters Memorial (Lv1/SP Edition)
Main Article: The King of Fighters Memorial
The official release of the first game was made in 2008 with a completely redone select screen and with a few returning characters from the demo along with new ones. Another noticable new change was the design of the powerbars. The game itself had a total of 44 playable characters in its initial release, and 10 unplayable boss characters. The game also seems to focus on team-battles much more than the demo did, as the Arcade/Story Mode is actually the Co-op mode/Team Arcade option in the regular M.U.G.E.N. There are a total of 7 regular fights the player must progress through with 5 boss fights afterwards.
The game has been notably criticized however for its seemingly impossible difficulty level. This is mainly due to the boss-characters exhibiting high cases of, and at times even going beyond the standards of SNK Boss Syndrome. The fact that boss characters could not be selected (unless a hack was used that involved arranging the hex coding of the game) along with only 19 of the 23 stages only being possible to select in Versus/Survival Mode was also criticized.
The game has recieved numerous updates however and was re-released in a "Special Edition" format. This version of the game removed some of the characters and replaced them with newer versions, as well as making all the boss characters (albeit nerffed versions of them) and some of the boss stages selectable from the start. Unlockable characters were also featured for a brief time during the updates by completing the game as specific characters.
The King of Fighters Memorial Lv2
Main Article: The King of Fighters Memorial Lv2
The second installment in the series and a sequel to the previous game. It was announced shortly after the first game was released and work on it began at around the same point. The game currently had a slight history of being a highly delayed release due to various technical issues and seemingly a state of "production hell," however Zelgadis stated that the game was complete and would be uploaded when the final video trailer for it is finished.
A vast majority of the game's roster and stages have been revealed prior, though not much of the story had been shown. It was revealed however that the gameplay mechanics and all the characters present to the roster would be updated, as well as given new movesets and ultimate moves. The game was released on September 23rd, 2011.
The King of Fighters Memorial Lv3
Main Article: The King of Fighters Memorial Lv3
The third installment of the game, in terms plot, the game don't have a story and was developed as a "dream match" for characters from all previous King of Fighters Memorial games is similar to The King of Fighters '98 and The King of Fighters 2002. Very little information has been revealed on it at this point, and the only confirmed for the game are Yukino Ozawa, Sula, Asuka, Flamme, Fliz, Nao, Khriz, Evil Ash, Zodiac, O. Element and D. G. Rugal.
The King of Fighters Memorial Lv4
Main Article: The King of Fighters Memorial Lv4
The fourth installment of the game, and the only one that has not gone into production as of yet. It has been stated by the author that this portion of the series will be made after the second installment is complete. Very little information has been revealed on it at this point, and the only confirmed characters for the game are Yukino Ozawa and Minase Yuka.